DSEJ’s Tele-counselling Helpline (AAO Baat Karein) is providing guidance and counselling to students during lockdown.
Jammu, March7th: In view of the multiple issues arisen out of Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns, Directorate of School Education, Jammu is leaving no stone unturned to provide professional guidance and counselling to school children through its Telecounselling helpline Aao Baat Karein (6006800068).
Directorate of School Education Jammu has collaborated with the Brainpreneurs – Child Development Centre (CDC), Jammu, an organization dedicated to the cause of mental health of children. Tele counselling is being provided by a team of clinical psychologists, counsellors, volunteer counsellors, academicians who are trying to get the issues faced by students resolved due to present crisis.
Tele counselling helpline is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. including even Sundays and other holidays to receive calls from students, teachers and parents. In addition to counselling and guidance, on 25th of March 2020, the helpline number was thrown open by the Directorate to address issues that have surfaced due to the spread of COVID-19 Corona Virus and the students are facing due to the ensuing lockdown. No sooner did the Directorate throw open the helpline number for additional queries, atleast 40 to 50 calls per day are being received by the Guidance and Councelling cell from different school students of government as well as private sector, parents of students, teachers from different districts including some from Kashmir division as well.
Majority of the calls being received are about the prevailing uncertainty surrounding the examinations due to Corona Virus, declaration of results, online classes started by the Directorateof of School Education Jammu, information about e-resources, etc.
Curiously, certain parents are asking about the techniques for positive engagement of their kids during this lockdown and others are enquiring about the possibility of strategies to deal boredom, anxiety arising due to lockdown or isolation. Mobile addiction, Career counseling, fear of covid-19, salary problems of teachers are other issues for which helpline is receiving calls and experts are doing their best to help out the callers in every possible way.
Telecounselling is also being provided on psychological issues like stress /anxiety, time management, scheduling etc. The queries of serious nature which require specialised expertise are referred to relevant agencies and experts.
The success of the initiative can be gauged by the fact that students are actively calling back for follow up sessions and even to provide feed back as well as to gather more information.
Guidance is also being provided to plan study schedules which can be followed by students and parents at home. References to Government/WHO guidelines are being provided for safety & security from this pandemic.
Guidance about use of alternative study tools like DSEJ home classes, DIKSHA, Syayam, television, radio, and other virtual/e-resources so as to have optimum utilization of their precious time is also being provided to students.
On the directions of director School education Jammu, Ms. Anuradha Gupta regular capacity development of telecounsellors engaged for the purpose is also taking place simultaneously in the form of online webinars with different mental health professional from Fortis health care, NIMHANS, etc.
“We have to gear up for next level that is from Telecounselling to online counseling for mass outreach” said Romesh kumar, Head, counseling cell, DSEJ while interacting with Telecounsellors.
The Tele-counselling helpline number shall as usual continue to receive calls related to routine academic, career and emotional/psychological issues faced by students and teachers even after lockdown.
